particularly for veteran Morse ops Chip Margelli, K7JA, and Ken Miller, K6CTW. During a May 13, 2005 appearance on
NBC's The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, the pair was able to pass a message using good old fashioned
Morse code more rapidly than a pair of teenaged text messagers equipped with modern cell phones. The text
messaging team
consisted
of world text-messaging champ Ben Cook of Utah and his friend Jason.
Miller said afterward that the Morse team won fairly handily.
"Ben was just getting ready to start entering the last two words when I was done," Miller said in response to various questions he's received following the TV appearance. "I already knew that 28-30 WPM would easily keep us in front of even the current world text messaging record holder, and also it is the fastest speed that I can make nice readable copy on paper with a 'stick' [pencil]." Miller said it was decided he'd be on the receiving end because he wasn't distracted by the noise in the studio.
Margelli recalls that he was sending at 29 WPM. "I believe the goods were suitably delivered," he said. "Morse and old guys rule!"
What the public didn't know was that Margelli and Miller had, in Miller's words, smoked 'em every time during three pre-program rehearsals. Even so, during the real thing, when Miller raised his hand to signal he'd copied the Morse message successfully, Jason's jaw dropped. None of the players had any idea of the text they'd be sending, Miller noted. The message? "I just saved a bunch of money on my car insurance."
To add a little atmosphere to the affair, NBC producers attired Margelli and Miller to look like 19th -century-era Western Union or railroad Morse telegraphers. The costumes came complete with green visors, white shirts, sleeve garters, vests and bow ties. The teenaged SMSers wore T-shirts and Jeans.
A member of the Morse Telegraph Club, Miller said he'd been using Morse for 38 years. Margelli told Leno he'd been using Morse "for 43 years in ham radio," a phrase Leno echoed.
to view the TV show video clip.